


A-Side: "Sugawara (Rhayven) Koushi"

by Sugamama-sama (landiddy)



Series: Life is a Harmony [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: First Meetings, M/M, Other, Slow Burn, musicians au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8048266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/landiddy/pseuds/Sugamama-sama
Summary: Sugawara Koushi, AKA hit music sensation Rhayven, invites an underground artist to play guest on their new album. Sawamura was already everything a robot could ask for in a partner, but they weren't expecting him to be gorgeous and adorable as well. Not that anyone could complain about such a thing.





	A-Side: "Sugawara (Rhayven) Koushi"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [m1nt_yoongi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/m1nt_yoongi/gifts).



> Let me tell you right now, everything in this series will be written in the first person. This is a stylistic choice made for a very specific reason, and it will not change, regardless of who is telling the story (because other people will be telling stories later in the series).
> 
> That aside, Suga's an award winning robot musician with a secret identity, and Daichi is an indie artist fanboy.  
> I drew them once. [Check them out here.](http://landidraws.tumblr.com/post/145848873071/sugamama-sama-more-au-bullshit-with)

Sitting. Waiting. Silence. That's what most of my life was outside of the glamorous view of the camera. At least away from home. We were very careful about when and where and how I spoke when we were out. Even at the studio where I did two-thirds of my work. Bokuto stood ever vigilant at the door, another broad but shorter man beside him. They both watched the scene unfold with a careful eye, searching for any sign that they might need to step in. This was a civil meeting, though, an exciting one even. If it weren't for the paperwork.

Not that it was anything to be upset over. It was very important to make sure the rules were put forth and well understood. Legal protection made it that much easier to ensure that those rules weren't broken. Tooru was always so thorough, did everything in his power to protect not only my image but also my identity, and I would be forever grateful for that. Even when he was sat next to me silently seething as this other, admittedly very shady looking, manager went over the contract he'd so meticulously drawn up. It was so long.

I was so bored.

Idly I wondered if games could be installed in my helmet. I had high doubts considering everything else it already did. There wasn't much sense in adding more, and what would be the point? I got into enough hot water for not paying attention when I was effectively in character. Not that Rhayven was a character; Rhayven was a very real, very important part of me. Rhayven had a tendency to be a bit more free spirited, however. Rhayven had a reputation. 

That very reputation was what had us sitting silently side by side that summer afternoon. I don't think he could tell, but most of my wait had been spent staring down the person sitting across from me over the coffee table littered with outdated magazines no one cared to flip through; Rhayven was featured on several covers. This person, though, Sawamura they called him, had all of my attention, for what it was worth.

He was attractive, young, and yet unbridled with the weight of fame. His was a name I'd managed to stumble upon by pure luck when I was up late going through the feedback from fans. He was still underground and fresh on the scene with only a few years behind him professionally. And he was fantastic. Sawamura had a sound that couldn't be replicated. It was strong and soft and carried so far with mere whispers. His voice was everything the ambrosia of the gods was said to be. A liquid so rich, so thick and fluid that it intoxicated me within seconds of having heard it. Tooru said I was crazy when I told him I was smitten.

Maybe I was.

Even sitting there in silence, though, catching his gaze without him knowing, I could tell he was perfect. Nervous beyond belief, fidgety and unsettled, yes, but he was perfect. The shield of my helmet always made it difficult to gauge color, but I had benchmarks. Tooru's flush cheeks, Bokuto’s snowy hair, my gloves black as midnight. A quick glance at those things told me that Sawamura was bronzed like no human should ever be allowed to be, his hair was dark and matched his incessantly moving eyes, and he was having trouble breathing. That last one was a guess, but his cheeks were paler than the rest of what I could see of his skin, and his chest was large enough to tell he was heaving under that jacket. All in all, the videos didn't do him justice.

"Alright, listen."

"Yes!"

It was the other manager. Apparently a good twenty minutes after seeing the nondisclosure agreement, he'd finished and was ready to go over its contents. Much to what I could tell was Tooru's annoyance, he repeated the same opening spiel he'd been given upon arrival.

"In all public spaces, real or imaginary, this person shall be referred to as 'Rhayven.' This includes if and when you are alone, and also online."

Sawamura nodded so quickly I thought he'd snapped a vertebrae. "Yes."

"They shall also be assigned no specific gender even if you come into the knowledge of what anatomical parts they have, or what they're personal pronoun preference is outside of these public spaces."

"Yes." 

"No cameras. Ever. No photos, no recordings; nothing that documents any meeting you have with this person save for paper records."

"Yes." He'd probably be good in the military. The thought made me giggle, and I stopped when Tooru nudged me with his elbow. I flashed a quick *SORRY* over the display that covered the shield over my face. The shady looking manager continued.

"This is legally binding. If you or any of your representatives breach this contract, legal action will be taken, and all communication will cease. Any work, completed or unfinished, will remain in the custody of Rhayven and affiliates. This includes any contributions you may have made during that time. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"And you still want to do this?"

"Christ, Kuroo... Yes." Ah. His name was Kuroo. Tooru didn't like him so I had been hearing a bunch of dirty words in place of his name over the time leading up to those proceedings. The feeling was mutual, though, his insistence on actually reading the NDA being proof enough of that.

Kuroo seemed satisfied with Sawamura's answer and nodded, pushing the leaflet over and pointing out the areas that had to be signed and initialed. When it was all said and done, he did the same with his own name to bear witness. I don't think anyone would have believed me if I told them I had the biggest grin on my face. I stood up quickly. So quickly in fact that my new collaborator looked startled. Knowing he couldn't see my face for the clunky helmet, I patted the air in apology and offered him my left hand. Voice controls were in the right glove.

"Come see my sound space," I said through the modulated voice provided by the tube speaker squeezed between my teeth. I'd call it synthesized, but a talk box was not a synth. Impatience claimed me when he didn't immediately grab my hand, so I flapped it a few times. "Please? And we can talk more about this project. Let the managers do their job."

Maybe he was just surprised to hear me speak. We had all been sitting so quietly for so long. I hadn't moved much. He probably thought I wasn't really alive or something; I did play the role of robot very well when I needed to. But all the extra urging seemed to get him into gear, thankfully, and he stood. He turned to Kuroo like a child seeking a parent's permission, a juvenile grin spreading over his face to match when he'd received a nod and dismissive wave.

"Sure, let's go," Sawamura breathed, and my heart stuttered. His smile was stunning, and I knew it was only because he was so starstruck. Still, I didn't care. At that moment I just wanted to get him away from everyone else so we could sit and talk. If that meant just answering a bunch of questions for a fanboy, I was fine with it. So long as we weren't bothered.

"Oh, you don't have a phone, do you? No phones in the studio."

He looked like he was ready to burst when he answered me. "I am SO analog right now."

"OMG... Okay," I said after sighing the mirth away though my nose.

There was no way he'd never been in a recording studio, but Sawamura could have been a day one novice with how awed he looked walking around the place once I had shut the door behind us. It was kind of adorable actually, and I laughed a little to myself. The sound seemed to spook him, and I apologized. To make up for it, I offered to answer any questions he had. To my surprise, he pointed up to the wall behind the couch where multiple plated discs were framed.

"Ah... Certified albums," I explained. I invited him over to inspect one that was closer to eye level where he could see the date, name, and which certification it had. That last bit was probably obvious from the plating, but who was I to assume? "The singles are over by the piano."

"Piano??"

Again he seemed thrilled and a little delighted. It made me smile. "Yes, piano~" I made sure to shift up on the last syllable to give the illusion of a playful lilt. "I do tickle the ivory... Would you mind if we actually got down to a bit of business, though? I'm not sure how long--"

"That's fine!"

He cringed when I snickered at his enthusiasm, and I was starting to think he didn't like the way it sounded when I laughed. Fair enough, considering the setup. I'd heard it on playback once from a video of a panel I did some years beforehand. Making actual noise or words over the talk box made it sound like there was some kind of malfunction. Mix that in with the monotonous timbre of the robotic voice, and it did come off a bit eerie and just a little sinister. I could understand not loving it.

"Sit with me," I said, taking a seat and patting at the space beside me on the closest couch. It was the one under the records. Sawamura was there in an instant looking breathless, and I bit my tongue. I didn't want to keep giggling and possibly putting him on edge... There was really only one fix for that, though. "Is it okay if I take this off? I know you just signed the thing and all, but still... Temptation is a mistress or whatever."

"T... Take it off?" I nodded, and he looked like he might have cried. "Yes! I-I mean, if you... want to, that is."

I didn't mention the fact that it was my idea in the first place. Instead, I just started shutting down the large helmet so I could get out of it. Putting it on was a two person job, normally, but getting undressed wasn't as difficult since it was mostly unplugging things. Tooru would probably be a little upset when he saw me faceless... I could live with that, though. This was exciting, and he couldn't get mad at me for being friendly in a new partnership.

After everything was unplugged, I did laugh for real when I finally had the thing off. "You seem disappointed..."

"Ah! N-no, I was just expecting more..." He grimaced and worked his hand in circles, grasping at the air in front of his face. "You know?"

I hummed my affirmation. I did know. People weren't exactly informed on what went on under the helmet. The fact that I had wires running down my arms or that I had to wear a fire retardant suit underneath my regular clothes for safety. Sawamura, like most folks I'm sure, wasn't expecting to see a second mask that only allowed for my eyes and a small hole at the side of my mouth.

"Well, give me a second." He jumped when I spoke, and I gave him a curious look. He said something about hearing my voice for the first time, despite me already speaking to him without any modulation. It was kind of adorable how all over the place he was. "Please relax. I don't need you passing out just because you saw my face."

Ah... There it was. Starstruck and awed, he stilled with his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. No doubt it was to make sure he kept breathing. When he nodded, I continued, setting the helmet on the couch between us carefully. Even powered down it was just as heavy and still as expensive. Didn't need any accidents with that. Getting the rest of my face clear was easy, though. I pulled back the skull cap, let my hair out, and bunched the ninja neck around the awkward tubing and wires I'd been left with now that they had nothing to connect to.

There were always two polishing cloths in my pocket, and I grabbed one to wipe the gel from my face. It was nice to be naked, and I took a deep breath, a heavy sigh of relaxation at being able to see the world for what it was. I cut my gaze over to Sawamura, and, once again, I was floored. My own eyes hadn't done him justice behind the safety of my anonymity.

"Oh... You're kind of--"

"You are so fucking beautiful."

I drew back. He'd beaten me to the punch sure, but I was a little surprised he'd said anything to be completely honest. Not two seconds ago he was dumbstruck, and here he was spouting nonsense about my face. I tried to hold it in, but it didn’t work. I laughed, pressing a hand against my cheek in an attempt to settle it down some. “LOL. Thanks,” I chuckled when I could finally breathe again. I felt a heat crawl up to my ears, embarrassed by the habits that stuck even after getting undressed. Normal people didn’t actually say those things, but I couldn’t help it. I spent a lot of time in that suit. 

Sawamura didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Wait so… So that’s real then?” he asked, pointing near my shoulder. I looked down and realized he was talking about my hair. That debate always tickled me.

I nodded, more than happy to answer his questions. “Yes,” I sighed, crossing my legs to get comfortable. “I’m just lucky that it fits the aesthetic… The constant helmet hair, I could do without, however.” To check it, I ran a hand over the top of my head. No cowlick; just sweat. All of it was pushed back and flat except for the bit that splayed over my neck to cover the wiring.

A few seconds went by, and he hadn’t said anything. That turned into a minute, and I was starting to get worried. I looked over, and he was staring, leaning in a bit like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was a tad troubling, and I fingered at the hem of my shirt. “Uhm… Should I put it back on?”

“N-NO.” The reply had been loud and instantaneous, and it startled me. “Sorry! Sorry, I just… I’m… Wow.”

My eyebrows came together in concern, and suddenly I was feeling a lot more self-conscious about my face than I had in a long time. He seemed flustered and frustrated, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why that was. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, and that relieved me a little. Ambivalence had made me wary of lots of things, many actions, and most people. Questions I had grown accustomed to, but there was always the chance that something new would come out of left field. Something I didn’t want to hear or answer. Something that went against my sensibilities. I suppose I put myself in that situation taking the helmet off in the first place, a course I never took with other collaborators. At the very most I’d wear the half-helm I wore for fan events and parts of my music videos. This was a privilege I’d extended for no real reason other than just wanting to, and I was beginning to regret it.

“It’s just…” His words brought me back to the present, and I gave Sawamura my attention. He was looking somewhere else, staring down at the crease in the couch where the back met the cushions and coins went to find limbo. A loud sigh escaped him, and he looked back to me again, agitation written all over his face, and I was almost convinced that this had been a mistake. “I feel really stupid??”

Even I have to admit that I was not ready for that one.

“Excuse me?”

His cheeks were ruddy with indignation, and once more his gaze was flitting all over the place. The only difference then was that there was no hiding the fact that I was watching him. “I’m… WELL.” He took a breath, to steel himself I suppose, and slapped his hand down against the couch. “I already went and blurted it out, right?? You’re… really gorgeous? A-and it’s just… men… aren’t that…? YOU KNOW?? And not to be rude, but oh my god, you don’t… TALK like a woman?? I-is that sexist to say??”

I cracked a smile. “A little bit.”

“AH, I’m sorry!” He sat back, seemingly out of breath. I don’t know why he would be with how broken his speech was. “I don’t mean that you don’t sound like a woman.”

“... Okay?”

“You don’t sound like anything!”

“Thank you?”

He huffed out a breath, and it finally clicked for me. He was confused, and, as mean as it was, I found it absolutely hilarious. For someone like him, someone who was so openly proud of being gay and taking every chance he could to talk about it in interviews and on message boards, it had to be disconcerting to proclaim someone was beautiful, physically attractive, and not know if it was something his heart, mind, and soul would all agree with. He was trying to be polite, but he couldn’t work his way around to it.

“You know, most people have an opinion on this,” I chuckled, the dread gone and amusement taking its place. I started undoing the connections to get the glove off of my right hand as I spoke. “What’s yours?”

“I.. don’t have one.”

“We’re going to be working together for a while, you know. Please don’t start our professional relationship by lying to me.”

He made an uncomfortable sound. It was hard to be put on the spot like that. “I’ve… always kind of hoped you were a man.”

The wording threw me for a loop, but I didn’t comment. “Mm… I find that the slight majority lean that way.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

I did consider it. I even looked over to study his face for a few moments once I had my hand free and didn’t have to worry about breaking a connection I shouldn’t. “Does it really matter that much to you?”

He gasped, uneasy. “No! No… No, it doesn’t.” Tooru said I didn’t know how to talk to people in real life, whatever that meant. Maybe this was what he was alluding to. Robotic vocals could be taken however they were interpreted. The human voice though had nuances that gave away emotion, and Sawamura probably picked up on my reluctance and slight irritation. I had the feeling he had it misplaced, though.

“We’ve just met, and you’ve already seen my face.”

He nodded, looking like I’d kicked him when he was down. “I… I know. I don’t mean to be pushy, honest. I just figured since that was the case, that you wouldn’t care. I really don’t need to know, though! Really… Was just curious.”

He definitely had it misplaced. “I’m not angry that you want to know,” I clarified, turning in my seat to face him with my whole body. “I’m annoyed that you’re still trying to beat around the bush. I hate it when people aren’t straightforward.”

Sawamura frowned, and he watched me for a moment, mouth screwed up in some cute cousin of a grimace. “... That’s big talk coming from someone like you, isn’t it?”

Silence again. From both of us.

I broke it when I couldn’t hold the laugh in any longer. “It is, isn’t it?!” I bit my lip to try and subdue the chuckles, but they still slipped out. I really did like him a lot. “Ah~ You’re ballsy. That’s good! I like that. Don’t take any of my shit, please! I am not some otherworldly entity you have to step on eggshells around.”

“O-oh… Okay?”

I offered him my naked hand then, smile still in place and cheeks warm with the ache of laughter. “Not that it matters, but hello,” I breathed, closing my thumb around his palm in a hearty shake. “My real name is Sugawara Koushi, and I originated with both the X and Y chromosomes.”

“N-not that it matters,” he agreed with a curt nod.

“Does it change anything knowing that?”

“A little bit, yeah…”

That was somewhat disappointing. “Ah… In a bad way?”

“No! Not at all!” 

His words were all over the place, and I giggled at him. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

My grin softened just a bit, and I raised an eyebrow at him, dubious. “You are still holding my hand, Sawamura.”

He gasped. “Daichi!”

“I’m sorry?”

“My name! You can… call me Daichi.”

“Ah~ Daichi, then.” I gave his hand another shake now that there had been a second introduction. He let go this time. “You can call me Rhay. I look very forward to working with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This AU was originally thought up with [PrincessDaichi.](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessDaichi)


End file.
